Sonja Yelich facts for kids

Sonja Yelich is a poet from New Zealand. She was born in 1965. You might know her as the mother of the famous singer, Lorde.

About Sonja Yelich

Her Early Life

Sonja Yelich was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1965. Her family came from a place called Dalmatia. She went to the University of Auckland to study literature. After that, she became a teacher.

Her Career as a Poet

Sonja Yelich started writing poetry early in her career. Some of her first poems were in a book called AUP Poets 2 in 2002.

Her first full book of poems was Clung, released in 2004. This book was very successful! It won the Jessie Mackay Award in 2005. This award is for the 'Best First Book of Poetry' in New Zealand.

Her poems were also chosen for the Best New Zealand Poems collection several times. This happened in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2008. She was also part of a book called New New Zealand Poets in Performance. This book came with a CD where you could hear the poets read their work.

More Poetry Books

Sonja Yelich's second book of poems was Get Some, released in 2008. This book was also very popular. It was a finalist for the New Zealand Post Book Awards. Get Some tells the story of an American marine serving in Iraq.

In 2010, Sonja Yelich received a special award called the Buddle Findlay Sargeson Fellowship. This award allowed her to focus on writing full-time. She lived at the Sargeson Centre, which is near the University of Auckland. This fellowship helped her to write even more amazing poems.

Her Family Life

Sonja Yelich lives in Auckland with her husband, Vic O'Connor. They have four children together. Two of their children are Ella, who is famous as the singer Lorde, and India, also known as Indy. Sonja and Vic got engaged in 2014 and were married on May 6, 2017.

Sonja Yelich's Poetry Books

• AUP New Poets 2 (2002)
• Clung (2004)
• Get Some (2008)